This weekend Tiger Aquatics will
be hosting it’s annual Memorial Day Swim Meet, a tradition
that goes back to the early 1970s. The two and a half day
meet brings over 500 competitive swimmers from across Northern
California to compete in events ranging from sprints like the 50m
Freestyle, to distance events such as the 400m Individual
Medley. With it being an Olympic year, you can expect to see
some fast times turned in by the veteran swimmers as they try to
qualify for the Olympic Trials. The meet runs Friday from 4-7
PM and Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM-3 PM and is free to the
public.

This year, the meet marks the end
of an era for five Tiger swimmers who will compete in their last
Memorial Day Swim Meet as a Tiger. Julia de Groot, Riley
Smith, Amanda Sokolowski, Chris Turcotte, and Marco Villanueva will
all be heading off to college in the fall. Julia and Riley
are both headed off to Concordia, in Southern California, where
they will continue their excellence in the classroom and in the
water. Amanda is headed out of state to BYU Boise. Marco and
Chris will continue their education at Delta College bringing a lot
of talent to the water polo and swim teams there.

But no matter what the stroke and
distance, or the level of the swimmer, you can be sure that all
will be competing for a chance to win a coveted Tiger Tail awarded
to all heat winners at Tiger Aquatics swim meets. The younger
swimmers get extremely competitive and psyched up for their races
at the prospect of possibly touching the wall first and earning
that Tiger Tail. These tails become a badge of honor as
swimmers adorn their swim bags with Tiger Tails and travel
throughout California showing of their swimming excellence and
spreading some Stockton cheer.